Jacks, Bears Split Wild Doubleheader Saturday

Saturday, April 8

Greeley, Colo.

noon MT/1 p.m. CT

South Dakota State University

Northern Colorado

1/1/1970 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

GREELEY, Colo - On a day in which the teams combined for 34 runs and 67 hits, it was the closers who set the records.

First, South Dakota State senior Gary Olechoski closed the door on Northern Colorado’s last rally to preserve a 10-8 Jackrabbit victory in game one. It was the 11th career save for the senior right hander from Omaha, breaking the SDSU mark of 10 set by Chad Coley. It was also Olechoski’s sixth of the season, tying Coley’s single-season record.

In the nitecap, Northern Colorado’s Brennan Garr got the Bears out of a bases loaded jam in the ninth for his ninth career save, a UNC record,as the Bears won 9-7.

SDSU is now 11-15 while UNC is 10-19. The two teams play a single game Sunday.

While earned run averages took a direct hit, SDSU hit .407 for the day (33x81), but UNC was even better with a .425 mark (34x80). There were also 11 walks, six hit batters and a catcher’s interference during the day. Forty-seven runners were left stranded.

Korby Mintken led the Jacks going 6-for-10 in the doubleheader, while Tyson Fisher, Nick Adams and Jake Rogers each had five hits.

Game One - SDSU scored eight runs in the first two innings, then had to hang on as UNC closed within two, then left the bases loaded in the eighth and two on in the ninth.

UNC lefthander Chris John’s, who beat No. 2 ranked Nebraska in his last start, lasted one and one-third innings in this one, giving up eight runs on 11 hits. The Jacks had seven hits in the first inning including a two-run single by Justin Morar, and run-scoring singles by Fisher, Cal Lewis and Tony Martin.

The Jacks made it 8-0 with a three-run second when Morar had a run-scoring double and Lewis a two-run single.

After UNC closed within 8-5, the Jacks added a run in the sixth on another RBI single by Morar.

Then UNC scored two in the seventh to make it 9-7, so the Jacks added another run in the eighth when Lewis led off with a triple and scored on an infield hit by Brian Estes.

UNC came back within two and had the bases loaded when Olechoski came on to strike out Josh Payne and get Adam Symons on an infield groundout.

UNC then put two on with one out in the ninth, on a single and hit batter, but Olechoski coaxed a fly ball out to left and an infield grounder to second to end the game.

Mintken and Lewis had four hits each to lead a 21-hit barrage by the Jacks. Lewis was 4-for-6 with four runs scored and three RBIs. Morar had three hits and four RBIs.

Game Two - This time it was Northern Colorado which had a big early lead, 7-0 after five, and hung on to win.

After closing within 9-5, SDSU opened its ninth with a leadoff single by Rogers. Fisher followed with a triple to score Rogers, then came home on a single by Nick Adams. Garr came on, walked two batters which loaded the bases, but also recorded two strikeouts, the second with two outs and the bases loaded.

SDSU scored its first runs of the game in the sixth when Mintken tripled and scored on a single by Fisher. Then Adams tripled, driving in Fisher.

In the seventh, Adams had a two-run single while Rogers also delivered a run-scoring single.

Adams was 4-for-5 with four RBIs to lead the Jackrabbit 12 hit attack.

Game One
South Dakota State ....530 001 010 - 10 21 0
Northern Colorado ......012 020 210 - 8 17 4
Robby Apo, Peter Ohnsorg (7), Gary Olechoski (8) and Tony Martin; Chris Johns, Eric Maydew (2), Jon Leines (8) and John Ray. WP - Apo (2-1), LP - Johns (3-5), Sv - Olechoski (6). HR - UNC - Zach Harris (6), Jon Ray (1), Josh Payne (3).

Game Two
South Dakota State .... 000 002 302 - 7 12 1
Northern Colorado ..... 020 410 20x - 9 17 0
Matt Bowman, Isaac Johnson (6), Chris Reynolds (7), Jake Angier (7) and Tony Martin, Zach Miller (5). WP - Allen (1-1), LP - Bowman (1-4), Sv - Garr (2). HR - UNC Brennan Garr (1)